Liu Ying backs Rexy's plan to reduce tournaments for shuttlers

KUALA LUMPUR: Rio Olympics silver medallist Goh Liu Ying supports national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky's decision to reduce tournament frequency for national players starting next year.

Liu Ying said the strategy would help players focus on major goals, noting that China frequently employ similar methods for their elite athletes.

"For players in the top 10, it is essential to choose the right tournaments. After all, the main target moving forward is the Olympics.

"This is actually the way China always operate, and it is excellent in terms of planning. I feel this is what we need to learn from them," she said after the launch of pickleball as a new sports category for Kidslympic.

On the BWF World Tour Finals (WTF), Liu Ying said the performance of mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei remained at a high level despite their semi-final exit.

"Overall, their performance can be described as normal. There were no big surprises, but it wasn't disappointing either.

"Although they have defeated the Chinese pair before, I see that their opponents have made strategic changes, so it is no longer easy to win," said Liu Ying, who won silver with Chan Peng Soon at the 2016 Rio Games.

She said the defeat to China's Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin should serve as a learning experience to address weaknesses.

She also noted that fatigue likely affected their play.

"To say there was no impact is impossible. Travelling, playing for two consecutive weeks, and then heading straight to the WTF is exhausting. Additionally, the opponents were not easy to face," she said.